


Anonymous Asked

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: Fic Verse [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: College Age AU, Fanfic AU, First Kiss, First Meeting, Long-Distance Relationship AU, M/M, anon hate, fanartist au, meeting in person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7970740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the first time in his life, Levi receives anon hate and feels ridiculous for being so torn up about it. Eren hates that he can't be there in person, but reminds the both of them that there are only a few weeks until he flies in to finally meet his boyfriend. Their time spent together is comfortable and filled with gentleness and they get to know each other that little bit better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anonymous Asked

**Author's Note:**

> I got hella motivated yesterday and wanted to work on this. It's a continuation of my fanfic writer/fanartist au that I wrote for the snkminibang. The response that I got for that was absolutely incredible and hope everyone enjoys this second part to the story. I know that I definitely enjoyed writing it. :D
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Levi expected this to happen at some point. He saw other fic writers address it online who had to deal with the same issues. He’d been lucky enough to fly under the radar until know…or maybe it was just that he was only now getting popular enough to receive hate because people were starting to take notice of him. He wasn’t really sure, but the one thing that Levi knew was that he wasn’t expecting the anon hate that greeted him in his inbox when he logged onto Tumblr that day.

                He tried not to care about it. He tried really, really hard, but his writing was also important to him and he was proud of the fics that he’d written. He looked at the coffee table where his laptop was still sitting open, the message glaring at him accusingly. As much as tried to stop it, his eyes had a mind of their own and travelled over the words again.

 

_Now that you’re getting a lot of new attention, you might think that your writing is actually good, but it’s not. Your plots are bland, your characters fall flat, and honestly the pairing itself is disgusting. The one good thing is that your writing is as much garbage as the pairing itself. Good luck ever getting published if this is the only kind of stuff you can come up with._

Levi pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his arms. He took several deep, steadying breaths, already feeling the telltale signs of tears building up behind his eyes.

                “They’re wrong, Levi. They’re wrong. What they say doesn’t matter because you _can_ get published and there are so many positive people out there,” he muttered to himself. As much as he wanted to believe the words, he found that he _couldn’t_ for some reason. It was almost as though all of the negativity in that one ask had blacked out every word of positivity or encouragement that he’d ever received.

                The sound of his skype ringing pulled him from his thoughts and he looked towards the screen, whimpering when he saw that it was Eren calling him. He couldn’t skype with him when he looked like this. He was an absolute wreck with tears streaming down his face. Eren wouldn’t want to see that.

                _Eren._ God, he wished Eren were there in person. What he wouldn’t give to have his boyfriend with him in his apartment for once instead of on the other side of the screen. Mercifully, the ringing stopped and Levi was left in silence. Alone with his thoughts and the accusing words on the screen. His day had been going so well too. He’d posted a new chapter the night before and woke up to an inbox with half a dozen comments waiting for him. The first one of course being from Eren.

                Levi started when his phone started ringing from where it sat on the table next to his laptop. He picked it up and felt a new wave of tears slide down his cheeks as he saw that Eren was calling him. He reluctantly answered just before the last ring.

                “Hello?” His voice sounded thick and gravelly.

                “Levi…” Eren started uncertainly, “is everything okay?”

                Levi laughed bitterly. “I wish you were here. Eren, I-…God, I just wish you were here right now.”

                “Levi…” Eren said, sounding distressed, “what happened?”

                “It’s stupid. It’s so stupid and I really shouldn’t be upset about it.”

                “It’s not stupid if it makes you upset.”

                Levi curled in on himself even more, trying to turn away from the computer and into the couch cushions. “I got anon hate. That’s it. Some stupid person sent a few mean words to my inbox. I don’t understand why I can feel this way over a few words.”

                “What did they say?” Eren prodded gently.

                Levi glared at the screen and recited the handful of sentences that were still staring at him. Once he was finished, he buried his face back into the cushions.

                “Levi. Love, it’s okay to be upset. Your writing’s important to you and when someone says something like that…of course it’s going to make you upset. But just remember how many people out there love your writing and think your fics are some of the best they’ve ever read.”

                “I know and I’m trying, but all I can think about are those stupid words on my screen and I…I just wish you were here.”

                “Two weeks. I’ll be there in two weeks, okay?”

                “Okay,” Levi said, quietly.

                The line was silent for a moment. Levi’s tears had, thankfully, stopped and having Eren’s presence on the line was strangely reassuring even though he’d much rather have him there in person.

                “Are you ready for Netflix night?”

                Levi turned back to his laptop and closed out of Tumblr. “Yeah. Go ahead and send the call through again while I pull it up.”

                Within seconds, his Skype was ringing and he answered the call to find Eren watching him with a soft smile on his face. Levi hung up his phone and returned his smile weakly. He watched as Eren picked up his laptop and situated himself among the pillows on his bed. He saw him fumble around with a pizza box as he got comfortable with his computer sitting on his stomach.  

                “Episode 6 of _Arrow_ , right?” Eren asked, flipping open the lid of the pizza box.

                “Yup! Press play in 3…2…1…” Levi held his breath as he waited for the show to finish buffering and let it out when the sound magically managed to come through the speakers at the same time. Most of the time they weren’t that lucky and had to spend a good five or ten minutes trying to get their accounts to play at the same time. That was the one downside to their Netflix dates or movie nights. He couldn’t wait until the day when they could just have the one screen set up.

                _Two weeks,_ Levi thought as his eyes honed in on the image of Eren in the corner of his screen. His eyes were focused on what was playing on his own screen, unblinking as he nibbled on the crust of his slice of pizza. He was entirely enthralled in the newest episode. _Two weeks,_ Levi thought again as he turned his attention to the episode they were watching and did his best to prevent negative thoughts from assaulting him.

He could make it through two more weeks until the day Eren was set to arrive at the airport. Until they were finally together in person for the first time. The months of skype dates and phone calls and study sessions had all led up to this point where he was finally going to touch him. Only two more weeks.

 

~

 

                Levi couldn’t do it. He physically did not think that he could wait another week to see Eren. For one thing, he was going through his final exams which were hell in themselves. But add on top of that the fact that he was getting more hate on Tumblr just made him want to quit everything. At this point he was pretty much ignoring his writing and the internet, mainly because he had to because _studying._

                He just had to remember that as soon as finals were over he would be going to meet Eren at the airport and would be bringing him back to his apartment for the first time. They would have two weeks to spend together watching Netflix and Levi could work on his fics while Eren worked on his fanart. (He’d already told Levi that he was bringing his tablet with him because he was sorely behind on how much fanart he wanted to draw.)

                Levi figured that if everything went well between them, he could go and visit Eren later in the summer for a longer period of time and they could spent a month together before classes started back up again.

                He honestly couldn’t wait for all of the free time that he would have to write. Levi knew that he would end up finishing one of his wips since there were only a few chapters left, but he also hoped to finish another fic that he was only halfway done with. It was in a good place and he was expecting to focus most of his efforts on getting the rest of it written before the end of the summer. He also had another work planned for once his two wips were finished as well and he was looking forward to starting that one since he’d already had the idea to write it for so long.

                Levi looked over all of the books that were covering the table in front of him and sighed. Before he could get to any of his plans, he had to finish this first and make it through finals without dying. He’d just bent over the closest book when his phone chimed.

                Groaning at the interruption, he picked it up and looked at the message, automatically smiling.

 

Eren: _Good luck on your finals and study hard. I’ll see you in a week! <3_

Maybe finals week wouldn’t be so bad after all.

 

~

 

                Levi shuffled out of his last exam. He was wrong. He was so, so wrong. They’d been just as bad as he thought they’d be. Even the knowledge that Eren would be landing at the airport in a few hours couldn’t bring him to move any faster. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone who was left on campus for the last day of finals looked like death. Levi had even forced himself to drink coffee that morning in the hopes that it would keep him awake enough to at least pass his final. Which he was pretty sure he did, thankfully. That was the quickest way to put a damper on his vacation.

                He sighed in contentment as he pushed out the doors of the business building. The sunlight was warm on his skin and made him immediately relax. Levi hadn’t realized how much tension he’d been holding in his body over the past week. Not that he had much time to pay attention to _anything_. Shaking his head of as much finals week fog as he could, he pulled out his phone as he headed across the quad towards his apartment.

                Levi wasn’t expecting to hear form Eren or have any other messages, but it was still kind of disappointing not having something to reply to or some goofy joke or message that he was so fond of texting him. Two more hours and then he’d be on his way to the airport to pick up his boyfriend. He climbed the stairs to the second floor and slid his key into the lock, pushing the door open. Levi bypassed the open box filled with rented textbooks that he needed to send back and moved towards the couch.

                He sat down heavily and pulled his laptop out, powering if up and setting it on the coffee table. As he waited for all of the programs to load, he pulled his remaining books from his backpack and dropped them in the open box before grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen. Levi would make sure to take the box to the UPS store the next day so it could get sent back to Chegg. Overdue textbooks were something that he did not need to deal with, especially when he was already getting such a good deal on them compared to the rates they go for at the campus bookstore.

                Levi sat back down on the couch and pulled up the newest chapter that he was working on. He was about halfway done with writing it and could probably get the last 2,000 words out before he had to leave. As long as thoughts of Eren’s pending arrival didn’t distract him too much. Although now that it was getting closer to his arrival time, Levi couldn’t help but wonder if he should’ve put some sort of welcome together. It wasn’t really his thing, but Eren probably would’ve liked the gesture. Shaking himself from his thoughts and telling himself that he shouldn’t worry about it, he did his best to bury himself in his writing for the next two hours.

 

~

 

                Levi couldn’t tell if he was excited or if he was about to throw up. He really hoped that he wasn’t about to throw up in the middle of the airport. That would be just his luck and the perfect welcome surprise for Eren. _Eren._ God, Eren was coming and he thought he was about to start hyperventilating. They’d waited so long for this and to actually meet in person….he honestly never thought that it would happen. But it’s happening.

                His gaze flitted from person to person as he searched through the people coming out of the gate. Every time he saw a head of brown hair his heart would give a little stutter before he was able to realize that the person who he was looking at was most certainly not his boyfriend. And then the crowd in front of his eyes just seemed to open up and he was met with the perfect view of Eren looking around and biting his lip in anxiously.

                “Oh…oh my God…” Levi choked out as his breath caught in his throat.

                Finally, _finally,_ Eren’s gaze settled on him and his eyes went wide. His steps faltered, but then the both of them were running. Pushing past people who strayed onto their path with only half-hearted apologies if they bumped into someone, only having eyes for each other. And then Eren was _there_ and he was dropping his suitcase and Levi was pushing himself into his arms, wrapping his own around his shoulders and clinging tightly.

                Eren buried his face in Levi’s neck and breathed him in, tightening his grip around his waist.

                “Levi…Levi you’re here. Oh my god, you’re here,” Eren mumbled.

                “ _You’re_ here. I can’t believe it. I’ve wanted this for so long.” He pulled away and cupped Eren’s face between his palms, grinning up at him.

                Eren stared at Levi in disbelief. He’d never seen him look so _happy_ and the fact that he’d put that expression on his face meant the world to him. Levi’s eyes searched his face and a giggle bubbled up from his chest, making the corners of his eyes crinkle. And Eren felt himself fall a little more in love with the man who used to just be a faceless writer on the internet. He couldn’t believe that this was his life and he was so lucky as to meet someone so amazing among the billions of internet users.

                He sighed happily. “I’m here. I’m so glad I’m finally here. I was getting real tired of having to look at you from the other side of a screen.” And how the screen didn’t do Levi justice. How his own paintings didn’t do Levi justice. He wanted to capture the illuminant gray of his eyes and the glow that clung to his skin. The happiness that currently made his eyes sparkle. He could spend forever mixing paint and would never be able to get the color just right.

                Levi’s smile softened into something more caring and loving. “Me too. Come on,” he said, stepping away and intertwining their fingers. “Let’s get back to my apartment. You’re probably hungry or want a shower after your flight.”

                Eren bent down to pick up the handle of his suitcase. “Food, yes. Shower, later.”

                Levi just rolled his eyes and pulled his boyfriend to one of the many waiting taxis outside.

 

~

 

                Levi thought there was going to be some sort of awkwardness between the two of them when they got back to his apartment. Thought they would dance around each other a little bit, but was surprised when that didn’t happen. Eren walked diligently next to him, never letting go of his hand as they climbed the stairs to the second floor and made their way down the hallway. Levi unlocked and opened his apartment door with one hand, holding it open as Eren following in behind him.

                Eren followed Levi’s cue and toed his shoes off at the front door, setting his sneakers next to Levi’s converse.

                “So this is my apartment. If you want to drop your bag off in the bedroom it’s the last door on the right. I’ll call in an order for pizza if you’re alright with that.” Levi pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at Eren expectantly.

                “Sure!” He turned to walk down the hallway. “Oh, and where’s your bathroom?”

                “Through the door on the left,” he answered, holding the phone up to his ear. Levi watched Eren walk down the hallway and disappear into his bedroom. He went to lean against the counter as the pizza place answered and he placed his order. After giving his address and confirming that he’d pay in cash, he hung up his phone and slipped it into his pockets, wiping his hands against his jeans.

                As he waited for Eren to return, he moved over to the couch and opened up his laptop. Levi pulled up his Netflix account in his web browser and ignored the finished chapter of his fic that was waiting to be edited.

                “I’m here for all of five minutes and you’re already ditching me for your writing? I should’ve expected this.” Levi looked up to find Eren shaking his head, expression solemn.

                He smirked. “You know me. Write-aholic that I am. Although you’re probably no better with your art.”

                Eren nodded sagely and sat down next to him on the couch, slinging one of his arms across the back. “Very true. Netflix huh?”

                “Yeah…unless you wanted to do something else?” He felt a twinge of worry curl in his chest.

                “Are you kidding? Netflix and pizza are always some of our best dates. And we finally don’t have to try and start our shows at the same time.”

                Levi felt himself relax as he hit play on the next episode of their show. After a moment of hesitation, he settled back into the space created next to Eren’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. And as Eren’s arm slowly came to drape across his side and hold him close, Levi thought that this was something that he could definitely get used to.

 

~

 

                Levi never thought that he’d be one to crave affection or the touch of someone he cared about, but it seemed almost as though Eren liked to prove him wrong. Even if they were just around town so Levi could show him some of the sights and what it was like to live in his city compared to Eren’s, they were almost always holding hands. More often than not, Eren initiated the contact between the two of them, but Levi latched onto it quickly, keeping their fingers intertwined unless he absolutely had to let go for some reason or other.

                If they were staying inside Levi’s apartment, they were sitting next to each other on the couch, shoulders touching or Eren had an arm wrapped around him. Or if they were working, Levi would sometimes sit on the floor with his computer on the coffee table as he leaned back against Eren’s legs where he was sitting on the couch with his tablet in his lap. He didn’t know how he could draw like that, but it was Eren and he said it was weird not to be in an unconventional position.

                When they shared meals, if it wasn’t something that was takeaway that they could sit on the couch with, and Levi had to constantly remind himself that he couldn’t always order out and would have to cook for Eren some of the time, they faced each other across the table, ankles and legs intertwined underneath. Eren liked to help Levi cook meals as well, something that he wasn’t expecting to happen, but it worked for them. And the things they made together often tasted better than something that he could make himself.

                At the beginning of their first week, Levi wasn’t sure how they wanted to handle the sleeping arrangements. He was fully prepared to take the couch because he wasn’t about to force it on Eren, but sharing a bed just seemed right for the two of them. He hadn’t even realized how big and cold it got until he had his boyfriend there to warm him up and hold him close. Those were certainly some of the best nights of sleep that he’d probably ever gotten.

                He loved that the two of them could just be together. It didn’t matter what they were doing and had both already spent countless hours just sitting in silence while he wrote and Eren worked on his art. Sometimes they put music on, a soft round of classical here or some piano music there, but they were content to enjoy the presence that they each provided. The soft tapping of keys and Levi’s slender fingers danced over the keyboard or the soft, barely there sounds of Eren’s stylus as he worked.

                It was a scene that Levi was completely content with. That is…until he decided to check Tumblr after getting to the halfway point of his newest chapter. Levi felt his stomach drop as, once again, he was faced with an inbox that had a hateful message in it. He hadn’t gotten any for about two weeks and he was thankful for it. Finals and Eren’s arrival had pushed the negative thoughts from his mind, but now they returned with full force. He willed the hurt and sadness to stay away, not wanting to cry in front of his boyfriend and ruin the good time that they were having together.

                It took a few minutes before Eren noticed the lack of typing that was coming from his boyfriend. Curious as to whether or not he’d finished his newest chapter and had started editing, he looked up from his own computer screen to find Levi’s hands fisted next to his keyboard as he stared at the screen. Quietly setting his tablet to the side, he eased himself down in front of the couch next to Levi.

                “Levi?” He didn’t move at the sound of his name. “Love, are you okay?”

                Eren saw Levi’s fists tighten, making his knuckles go white. “Fine, just go back to your art.”

                He narrowed his eyes, unsatisfied with his answer and looked over his shoulder, reading the message that was at the top of the screen and felt his heart ache.

 

_Your stories are pathetic. You should just go kill yourself. Trying to be an author or write the fics you do is laughable. It’s stupid and pointless. Good luck getting nowhere in life._

Eren let out a pained noise. “Levi…”

                The sound of his name filled with so much concern and care finally pushed him over the edge making the tears spill over. He wrapped his arms around himself and brought his knees up to bury his face in them. Soft sobs wracked his body and he fully expected to be left like that. Wasn’t expecting the strong arms that wrapped around his slim frame to pull him into Eren’s lap.

                Levi was stiff for a moment, but quickly relaxed into the comfort that his boyfriend was providing him. He clutched at Eren’s shirt feeling utterly helpless and stupid for getting worked up over a few meaningless words. But having Eren’s strong arms wrapped around him as he made calming and soothing sounds made him think that it was okay. That he wasn’t stupid for getting so worked up over the words some faceless stranger had sent to his inbox.

                Slowly his tears subsided and he was left taking a few shaky breaths against Eren’s shirt. Eren rubbed his hand gently up and down his back, helping ease the last vestiges of tension from his body.

                “’M sorry,” he said quietly.

                Eren’s hand stilled before he shifted Levi around so he was straddling his lap and looking up at him. He cupped his cheek and rubbed his thumb over the drying tear tracks that marked his face. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

                Levi huffed. “I shouldn’t get so upset over a few stupid words.”

                “Your writing is important to you, Levi. But the words of one person mean nothing with how many more people read your fics and wait for updates because they crave the stories that you’re able to craft.”

                Levi looked away from Eren’s earnest gaze, light blush dusting his cheeks. They were silent for a few moments as Eren continued to hold him close.

                “Thank you,” Levi said quietly.

                Eren smiled softly and shifted his hand so it was cupping the back of Levi’s head. He gave him a quick peck on the cheek. When he pulled back, he was faced with a slightly shocked Levi. Eren bit his lip and saw his boyfriend’s eyes dart down to his mouth before snapping back up to his gaze that was still trained on him.

                Shifting forward slightly, Levi cupped Eren’s face between his palms. Licking his lips he leaned forward and brought their lips together for the first time. It was short, it was chaste, and it was over too quickly for either of their tastes. But it was their first kiss. The first time that they’d shown more intimacy than just sitting or lying together in each other’s arms. But it was nice. And Levi wanted more. Wanted to pour his feelings into another kiss. Show Eren how much he meant to him. How much his actions meant to him and the fact that he stayed there and realized what he needed even though he himself didn’t know. So that’s exactly what Levi did.

                Brought their lips together again. Reveled in the taste of Eren and the feeling of his slightly chapped lips against his own. The way Eren tightened his hold around him. Again and again and again they kissed. Sitting there as though nothing else mattered in the world and Levi supposed it didn’t. Because he had Eren and that’s all he felt like he needed sometimes. A smile or sweet conversation or set of comforting words. He briefly thought that he should be afraid or concerned with how strongly he felt for the other man but couldn’t bring himself to care.

                When they finally broke apart for good, they realized that something had shifted between them. They’d grown that little bit closer. Baring themselves and letting another set of walls come down. Levi shifted around so he was framed by Eren’s legs with one of his arms draped around his waist. He relaxed back into the embrace and watched as he pulled his laptop towards them. He watched as Eren carefully deleted the message that was still sitting in his inbox before pulling up Netflix.

 

~

 

                Levi woke up on Saturday morning feeling completely content and happy. He was wrapped up in Eren’s arms and looked over the sunlight that was shining over his brown locks. He thought that it couldn’t get any better than it already was. That is, until he realized that he would have to take his boyfriend to the airport in a few hours and cursed the fact that their amazing two weeks of spending time together and being creative had to come to an end. The night before was bad enough, but Levi really wasn’t looking forward to having to make breakfast one last time for them.

                His anxious movements caused Eren to stir and he slowly blinked his eyes opened and smiled when he saw that Levi was already up and watching him.

                “Morning,” he said, voice thick with sleep.

                Levi sighed. “Morning.”

                “Whassamatter?”

                “Do I really need to answer that?” he asked bitterly.

                Eren’s hand stilled where it was rubbing his eyes. “Oh. Right.” He smiled softly and cupped Levi’s cheek, caressing the skin with his thumb. “But we’re going to be together again in a couple of months, yeah?”

                “Yeah…but I don’t want you to go.”

                Eren bent his head and kissed Levi deeply. “And I don’t want to go, but I have to. We’ll get to spend more time together at the end of the summer. And I’m looking forward to you meeting Mikasa and Armin. They’re excited to meet you.”

                Levi sighed and leaned his head against Eren’s chest. “Okay. We should probably make breakfast.”

                Eren rubbed his back soothingly as he threw the blankets from them. He patted Levi’s thigh before climbing out of bed. Sluggishly and reluctantly, Levi followed after him into the kitchen almost as if they were in Eren’s apartment instead of his own.

                Breakfast was a simple one of eggs, bacon, and toast. It was over far too quickly for Levi and everything after that seemed to go by in a blur. Eren showered first and packed his bag while Levi took his turn. They swept the apartment to make sure that he wasn’t leaving anything behind and then they were out the door and down the stairs. The taxi was too bright, the atmosphere too cheery, and they arrived at the airport too quickly.

                Levi waited to the side as Eren picked up his ticket and they walked to security holding tightly to each other’s hands. They stopped just to the side of the line and Eren turned to face him.

                “I’ll miss you,” he said softly.

                Levi nodded, not trusting himself enough to speak. And it was ridiculous when he really thought about it. How much he’d come to care about this man who he used to only know through the internet and only just met in person for the first time.

                “Hey, Levi.”

                Levi glanced up through his eyelashes before looking away. Eren huffed a laugh and cupped his cheek in his palm, tilting his head upwards. He caressed the skin there with his thumb and leaned in, bringing their lips together for what would be the last kiss they’d share for a while. Levi’s hands clutched at the fabric of Eren’s shirt and the effort to extract his fingers once they broke apart was monumental.

                “I’ll text you as soon as I land, okay?”

                “Okay,” he said softly.

                “It’s only a few months, Levi. And we can see as much of each other as we want over skype until then. And I'm sure that I’ll have lots of drawings for you every week.”

                “Don’t lose sleep trying to draw. It’s finally summer. You should be sleeping in and not doing anything until the start of next semester,” Levi said, rolling his eyes.

                “Losing a little bit of extra sleep for you is worth it though.”

                Levi felt himself flush at the words and crossed his arms defensively. Eren swooped in for one last kiss before offering up a blinding smile and headed towards security. Levi watched as long as he could, mapping the slow movements of Eren’s brown hair through the crowds of people as he made his way through the scanner and out the other side. After that it was only a few seconds until he was out of sight completely.

                Sighing to himself, Levi turned his back and headed back to the line of waiting taxis outside the airport. The least he could do until he saw Eren again was write. That and his summer job were surely going to take up a large portion of his time and offer an ample distraction until they were back together again in person.

 

~

 

                Levi stood just inside the door to his apartment. He never used to think that it was too big or empty or lonely, but Eren had given him a lot of first experiences and it seemed that even when he was gone, there were no exceptions. Despite the sun shining through the curtains, the couch lacked a certain warmth and comfort that it had had over the past two weeks. Where he expected to find a head of brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and a wide smile, there was none. Levi told himself that he was being ridiculous. It wasn’t as though Eren had died, but his absence did take some of the life from his apartment that had found its way there.

                He was restless and he didn’t know what to do. He tried sitting down on the couch to work on his latest chapter, but felt twitchy and anxious. Felt as though he needed to get up and _do_ something. Levi wrote, maybe, 100 words before finally getting up from his spot out of frustration and started pacing circles around the furniture. He considered cleaning and even walked into the kitchen, but found the idea too much work for the first time in his life. He didn’t want to clean, he wanted to do something else. Wanted to _be_ with someone else.

                Somehow, Levi managed to find himself in his bedroom. He wondered if the sheets smelled like Eren after he’d slept on them for two weeks. He walked over to the bed wanting to throw himself onto the mattress but stopped short when he saw an envelope sitting on top of one of the pillows. Pulling it towards him, he found that his name was written in a loopy scrawl on it. It wasn’t a very thick envelope, but Levi could feel the sheet, or was it two, of paper inside. He flipped it over and pulled open the flap, pulling what were indeed two sheets of paper tucked inside of it.

                He sat down in the middle of the bed with his legs crossed and slowly unfolded the first sheet of paper. It was a piece of paper from one of Eren’s sketchbooks. He didn’t even know when he’d had had time to draw it. It was Levi, smiling and laughing at some unknown event and the obvious care that Eren had taken when drawing it nearly brought happy tears to his eyes and made something in his chest tighten. Setting the first paper aside, he opened the second one. And this time, the tears did fall. Oh, how he loved this man.

                This drawing was of the two of them. It was a recreation of a picture that Eren insisted the two of them take. He was trying to coax Levi to smile, but he really hadn’t wanted to. He had ended up making some sort of joke that left Levi looking at him with a fond smile on his face, allowing Eren to take the picture without him noticing.

                He picked up both sheets of paper and set them on the bedside table with the utmost care. He would go to the store the next day and get some frames for them, but for now he curled up in the sheets, breathing in the smell of Eren that still clung to them and let his eyes slide closed. Levi’s heart felt too full and he never thought that he’d cry happy tears, but Eren was giving him so many firsts. And he was happy to experience each and every one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated and I reply to every comment I get. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr here: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


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